Dilma Rousseff has been sworn in as Brazil's first woman president, succeeding Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the most popular leader in the country's history.
Ms Rousseff, 62, who has never held elected office, has pledged to follow the path set by President Lula.
He was constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term...
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A senior official has described the flooding in Queensland, Australia, as a disaster of "biblical proportions".
State Treasurer Andrew Fraser said the economic impact would be severe, with huge costs compounded by lost income from mining, farming and tourism...
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Pope Benedict XVI has said he will organise a summit in Assisi with religious heads to discuss how they can promote world peace.
In a New Year message, the Pope also condemned inter-religious violence, including attacks against Christians in the Middle East...
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West African leaders have ended their mission to Ivory Coast, having failed to persuade incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to stand down.
They had hoped Mr Gbagbo would agree to cede power to Allasane Ouattara, widely considered to be the true winner of November's elections...
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South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak has called for new six-party talks with North Korea.Mr Lee said there was no choice but to try to dismantle North Korea's nuclear programme through diplomacy...
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(CNN) -- Two German journalists charged with espionage in Iran for interviewing the son and lawyer of a woman condemned to die by stoning have met with family members, Iranian officials said Tuesday...
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Transport workers in Bolivia have begun an indefinite strike, called in protest at an increase of more than 70% in the price of fuel.Commuters struggled to reach the main cities, and army lorries were used to help people get to work...
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Airports have reopened in the north-eastern US after blizzards caused some 7,000 flights to be cancelled over the busy post-Christmas travel period.
Services have now resumed into and out of New York, Boston and Philadelphia...
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Three West African heads of state are expected in Ivory Coast for talks on the crisis following the disputed presidential election.
Leaders from Sierra Leone, Benin and Cape Verde are to give the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, a final chance to step down peacefully...
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A swathe of the US eastern seaboard is braced for an intensifying winter storm that is dumping heavy snow as it sweeps north.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and severe weather warnings are in place from Georgia to Vermont as temperatures continue to plummet...
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Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A young, female suicide bomber was behind a blast in Pakistan that killed at least 46 people and injured 105 others at a food distribution point, an official said Sunday...
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Foreign intervention to oust Ivory Coast's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo could ignite a civil war, a spokesman for the president has warned.
West African leaders have warned of military action if Mr Gbagbo refuses to hand power to rival Alassane Ouattara...
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A female suicide bomber has killed at least 40 people in an attack on a large crowd receiving aid in north-west Pakistan, officials say.
The blast took place in the town of Khar in the Bajaur region, in tribal areas close to the Afghan border - a Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold...
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Stranded air passengers have spent the night at airports in Paris and Brussels after freezing weather severely disrupted Christmas travel.
Some 200 people slept overnight at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, which cancelled 400 flights because of snow and ice...
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(CNN) -- Five blasts went off in the Nigerian city of Jos Friday night as residents were celebrating Christmas Eve, leaving dead and injured, a regional government official said.
The exact number of casualties was not determined, but an eyewitness said he counted eight dead...
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London (CNN) -- The chief executive of British airport operator BAA, which is responsible for London's Heathrow, says he will not be taking his bonus for 2010 following the travel chaos caused by heavy snow...
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